Emma-red pearl princess
by Starmiya-san
Summary: Emma could be an ordinary girl, just like anyone else. The only thing that isn t like anyone else is the fact that she doesn t have any memories from before two years ago and the only clue to her past is a necklace with a red seashell containing a red pearl...
1. Noel

_HI MINNA! I don´t own mermaid melody or any of its characters, but I DO (as far as I know) own the story, Emma and Isabelle, so PLEASE don´t re-use them without me saying that it´s ok-ok-okay, nee? ARIGATO̅!_

EMMA

I was told I that they found me washed up on a beach in Scania after a storm when I was 14 years old. I was placed in a foster home and that´s where I am now, since they never found out who I really was. They gave me the name Emma, since that´s what´s written on the red seashell that they found next to me. They assumed that I had been wearing it until the chain broke. Then I probably held it in my hand until I passed out on the beach. Why I would be so attached to a simple seashell with a pearl inside it, I don't know, but I guess that it made sense to me at the time. I´ve been wearing it every day for the past two years, hoping that someone who recognise it will see me.

I´m 16 years old now and I still don´t remember anything. I´ve been scared of water ever since then, so going swimming with my friends had never been an option if I had any. Even learning how to swim hasn´t crossed my mind. Why I´m scared is still a mystery, perhaps it´s because I don´t WANT to know who I was. My life before I was 14 might have been hell on earth. But on the other hand it could have been perfect. Or just normal. I go down to the local marina or the beach where they found me sometimes, hoping to get some clue to who I was before. Today was one of those days.

I was walking along the pier in the marina as I usually do. It was getting dark and I was thinking about heading back home. I reached the end of the pier and was just about to turn back when I heard something splashing just below the pier. I bent over to see what it was and I must have bent out a little bit too much, considering my poor sense of balance, because the next thing I knew the water was rushing towards me. The whole thing probably took a second, but it felt like an eternity. "This is it. This is how I die" I thought before I hit the water. I was shocked by how cold the water was, but since it was still only April, what was I expecting? This was Sweden after all, not the Caribbean. When the first shock had settled I knew that I had to try to get to the surface somehow. I remember how I´d seen other people do and tried to do the same. I tried to move my legs, only to realise that I couldn't. I looked down and what I saw then shocked me once again. I didn't have legs anymore… Instead I saw a long, red tail. I shook my head to see if I really saw right, only to get long, deep brown hair in my face. I turned around to see who had come to help me, since my own hair was short and light brown, but there wasn´t anyone there. I didn´t know how to get up and started to panic, when suddenly I saw another girl in my age coming towards me. "Finally, I´m saved" I thought, but as she got closer I saw that she also had a tail, but hers was navy blue. She reached me just as I was about to pass out from shock and exhaustion.

"Noel" was the last thing I said before things started to become darker.

In a distance I heard someone repeatedly calling out my name before I woke up, instantly recognising the beach. It was the same as last time and when I turned my head to see who had been calling my name I saw a girl who looked almost identical to the one who saved me, except that her hair was shorter and she didn´t have a tail. I looked down to see if I really did have a tail, but then I saw my legs. "Of course I don´t have a tail" I said to myself "because that would mean that I´m a mermaid and mermaids only exists in fairy tales".

"Emma? Are you okay?" the girl suddenly asked, making me jump at the sound.

"Yea, I´m okay, eeem…"

"I know it´s been two years, but considering we´ve known each other basically all our lives, you should know very well who I am" she said, sounding a bit insulted.

"But the thing is that I don´t know who you are. I lost all my memories two years ago… Wait a minute, if we´ve known each other all our lives, does that mean that you know who I am and where I come from?"

"Your really don't know, do you?"

"I already told you that I don't remember anything before two years ago, so if you know anything, can you please tell me?"

"Okay, but first you have to promise that you won´t think I´m crazy or tell anyone what I´m about to tell you and please don´t interrupt"

"I promise, but can you please tell me your name first?"

"My name is Noel and I come from the arctic ocean."

"Arctic ocean?! How…"

"I asked you not to interrupt me, but knowing you I shouldn't be surprised… Anyway, like I said I´m from the arctic ocean and the reason that I can be from there is because I´m a mermaid. We are real, even thought people today have forgotten and passes us of as fairy tales. Now you're probably wondering how we could have known each other when I´m a mermaid and the answer is quite simple. You´re a mermaid as well, but you're the princess of the Baltic, North and Norwegian sea or, as we call it, the Nordic kingdom. It was such a beautiful and peaceful kingdom until it was destroyed by a great storm two years ago. The red mermaids scattered to other kingdoms, most of them came to the arctic and the north Atlantic kingdoms. You, on the other hand, disappeared without a trace, and since we never found you or the red pearl we had to assume that you were dead and that the red pearl was lost forever. Your kingdom is still in ruins because it was no use to rebuild a kingdom without a princess."

"Couldn´t they just vote for a new princess?"

"No, they couldn´t. Only a mermaid born from the red pearl can become a princess of the red kingdom."

"And I just happen to be that princess?"

"Yes, it´s us and seven others"

"So you´re a princess as well?!"

"Yes, they don´t let princesses play with just anyone"

"Okay and the other seven? Where are they?"

"The other seven is Isabelle of the Mediterranean, Rina of the north Atlantic, Hanon of the south Atlantic, Lucia of the north Pacific, Coco of the south Pacific, Seira of the Indian ocean and my twin sister Karen of the Antarctic ocean. They are princesses of the lilac, green, aqua, pink, yellow, orange and purple kingdom respectively."

"What about the black sea?"

"I don´t think that it´s actually an ocean…"

"So they don't have a kingdom then?"

"Well, they used to, it was called the crystal kingdom, said to be the most powerful kingdom to ever exist and was the only one where mermaids and humans lived as one people. Unfortunately, it was completely destroyed thousands of years ago. People on land blamed it´s disappearance on a gigantic tidal wave but in reality it was destroyed by sea monsters who was after the crystal pearl, but they never found it and the pearl is still missing. They say that when the pearl is found humans and mermaids will finally be able to live in peace and harmony once again, but like I said, that´s only a legend."

"I thought that mermaids were no more than a legend until a few minutes ago, so that crystal pearl legend of yours could very well be true."

"Good point… But come on, we have to go back now!"

"What? Go where?"

"Go back home of course" she said while pointing to the ocean

"My home is that way" I said pointing in the other direction

"But you're the red pearl princess of the Nordic kingdom, you belong in the sea, with your people! They miss you and without you they don´t have a home to go to"

"They don´t need me, they need their princess and I´m sorry, but I can´t be that princess. A princess has to be born from her pearl, right?"

"Right…"

"Then, here!" I said removing the pearl from the seashell. "Take my pearl and create yourself a new princess, one that actually WANTS the title, because I don´t want it!"

"It´s not that simple. We can´t create a new princess just like that. To be able to do that you have to officially decline the title under a big ceremony and allowing the new princess to be born that way."

"Isn´t there any other way?"

"There is ONE other way, but that includes you dying and I guess that neither of us wants that, am I right?"

"So I really have to go back to the ocean don't I?"

"Yep"

"Can at least go back home and fix something?"

"Sure, can I come with?"

"No, I´ll be back in like five minutes"

"Okay then"

I walked away to my house and went inside. The only thing that I wanted to do was to write a note to my parents, saying that I´d gotten a clue to who I was and that I had to leave right away to look it up. I also told them not to worry about me and that I´d be back as soon as I could. I took a look around the house before walking back to the beach to meet with Noel. I wasn´t going to be gone that long, but I couldn't shake of the feeling that this might be the last time I was ever going to be here.

"Are you ready?" Noel asked when she saw me coming. I nodded before taking another look around me before stepping out into the water. It felt so natural to me now that I felt silly for being scared of it for two years. I almost laughed at myself as we swam away.


	2. Under water

_HI MINNA! I don´t own mermaid melody or any of its characters, but I DO (as far as I know) own the story, Emma and Isabelle, so PLEASE don´t re-use them without me saying that it´s ok-ok-okay, nee? ARIGATO̅!_

EMMA

We swam further and further away from the shore. Further and further away from home and everything I knew. My parents should be home soon. I wonder how they´ll react when they see my note? I was completely lost in my thoughts when I suddenly heard someone call out for us. Well at least for Noel…

"Noel! You´re late! Again…" the girl called

"I´m sorry Rina!" Noel answered

"A friend of yours?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer

"This is Rina, a close friend and a fellow princess" Noel said, smiling

"Emma? Is that you?" Rina asked with wonder in her voice

"Did I know you too?" I asked

"What do you mean by that? You don´t remember me?!" Rina said in surprise. Noel pitched in.

"No, Emma lost her memory after the storm two years ago"

"Oh… So that´s why you didn't come back… Where have you been instead?"

"Yea, I guess… I´ve been living on land with my foster parents. I thought that mermaids were just legends until a few hours ago"

"You didn´t notice that you were a mermaid?"

"No, I´ve been afraid of the water for the past two years, so I haven´t gone swimming"

"You were scared of water? Why?"

"I don´t know, I´ve just assumed that it was because of whatever happened that led to me being washed up on a shore unconscious and without any memories"

"So you don´t know anything about this world? About us?"

"I only know what Noel told me, that I´m one of nine mermaid princesses, I used to be the princess of the Nordic kingdom and then there was something about a crystal kingdom with some magical pearl…"

"Oh, the old crystal pearl legend, the pearl that supposedly should allow humans and mermaids to live in peace… I love that legend. I wish that it was true"

"How do you know it´s not? I´ve heard that all legends contain some truth"

"I´ve never heard anyone say that, but it´s a nice saying…"

There was an awkward silence, until Noel suddenly spoke up

"Hey, don´t you think that it´s time to get going? We´re already hours late and the others are waiting…If we don´t show up soon, they might send out the guards to look for us and we wouldn't want that, now would we?"

"Yea, you´re probably right… Wait. The others?" I said as we started swimming.

"Yea, didn´t Noel tell you that all the princesses have gathered in my kingdom for Seiras crowning ceremony?"

"No, she didn´t… Who´s Seira again?"

"Seira is the new princess of the orange kingdom and since her kingdom is still being rebuilt after a major earthquake, we decided to hold the ceremony here" Rina said, while basically staring daggers at Noel, who was happily unknowing of it.

"New? What happened to the old one?"

"Sara? She… She…She… Oh, look! We´re here!" Noel said the moment some guards swam up to us

"Princess Rina! Princess Noel! We were worried about you!" one of them said

"Why did it take so long? You should have been back hours ago!" another one said

"I´m sorry, I think it´s my fault...I found this young lady swimming around" Noel said while swimming to the side so that they could see me and when they did, they were surprised to say the least

"Princess Emma? Is that really you? We were starting to believe that you were dead!"

"Yes, it is me and as you can see I am very much alive, but thank you for worrying about me" I said, then I thought _"where did that come from? That's not how I usually talk"_

"Now, let´s find the others. I think they should be in the dining hall at this time" Rina said, taking the lead as we swam away and into the castle.

The castle as like a maze and I was surprised that anybody could find their way at all. Eventually we stopped outside a gigantic double door, which I assumed lead to the dining hall since that was where we were going. After a few seconds the doors opened, revealing a huge room with three long tables put out in a way that reminded me of a horse shoe. In the middle of the horse shoe there was a smaller table that looked so out of place that it had to be placed there temporarily, probably so that the girls surrounding the table could eat at a table more suitable for the number. I counted them quickly. There were six of them, each with a different colour on their tails. _Was this the other princesses? It had to be, right? Who else could it be?_ My thoughts were interrupted by the girl with purple tail who looked almost identical to Noel.

"Noel-chan!" she called, quickly getting up from her seat and dashed towards us to give Noel a hug

"Karen-chan! It´s been a while!" Noel answered smiling

"Rina, what took you so long?" the girl with pink tail asked

"You should have been hours ago!" the yellow-tailed girl said, before the aqua-tailed one continued

"I was starting to think that you had been attacked by something"

The one with the lilac coloured tail just smiled and said "I´m glad that you´re both okay"

Then the youngest one, who I realised must be Seira because of her orange tail and hair, noticed me half hiding behind the door

"Who´s that?" she asked while pointing at me, forcing me to reveal myself for the others

"Emma!" they all called out, almost at once, before hugging me all at once

"I started to believe that you were dead!" the pink-tailed girl said

"I thought that I´d never see you again!" the lilac-tailed girl said

"If I was on land now, I´d be crying tears of joy!" the yellow-tailed girl said

"I´m so happy that you´re alive!" the purple-tailed girl said

"Where have you been all this time?" the girl with aqua tail asked

"I´ve been on land for the past two years"

"Why? Why didn´t you come back before?" the yellow-tailed asked

"Didn´t you realise that you were missing? That WE missed you?" the lilac-tailed asked

"I didn´t know about anything of this until a few hours ago! I thought that mermaids only existed in fairy tales!" I said, starting to feel like I was losing it completely

"She lost her memories after the storm" Noel explained when she saw the others confused faces

"So you don´t remember anything?" the purple-tailed asked

"No"

"Not even us?" the pink-tailed asked

"No, I don´t remember anything. Would you mind telling me your names?"

"Of course! I´m Lucia and that´s Hanon, Coco, Karen, Isabelle and Seira" the pink-tailed said, while pointing at the aqua-, yellow-, purple-, lilac-, and orange-tailed girl as she said their names

"Somehow that sounds familiar…"I said, while thinking _"Could that mean that my memories aren´t completely gone after all?"_

Noel answered the question before I could ask them anything

"I don´t think Emma's memories are completely lost, because when I found her she was about to pass out and just before she did, she said my name. You can imagen my surprise when she woke up later and didn´t know who I was" she said

"Well, that´s great news!" Coco said happily

"Maybe they´ll start coming back now that you're here again" Isabelle said

"Yea, maybe" I said. I didn´t have the heart to tell them that I was leaving as soon as I had officially declined my title, at least not right now. _"I´ll tell them tomorrow"_ I thought, while the others blabbered away…


	3. First morning

_HI MINNA! I don´t own mermaid melody or any of its characters, but I DO (as far as I know) own the story, Emma and Isabelle, so PLEASE don´t re-use them without me saying that it´s ok-ok-okay, nee? ARIGATO̅!_

EMMA

When I woke up the next morning I didn't know where I was at first. Then I remembered everything that had happened yesterday. Me falling into the water and being saved by Noel who then told me I was a mermaid. After finding out that I also was a princess I had no other choice than to follow Noel into the ocean if I wanted to live as a normal girl again. There I had met the seven other princesses, who all was so happy to see that I was alive and well that I didn't have the heart to tell them right away that I was leaving as soon as I had declined the title as the red pearl princess. I decided that I'd tell them at breakfast. Well, if I somehow managed find my way there, that was. This castle really is a maze. I decided to stay in my room until someone came to get me. I was one hundred percent sure that if I got lost, no one would ever find me. Luckily it didn't take that long before Noel came to my room to get me, as they realized that I was not at breakfast. When I told her why I hadn't left my room she just laughed, before saying

"I know this place is a maze, but it's not that big! Besides, all guests always have a guard outside their room to escort them around the castle. For us princesses it's partly because of safety reasons, but also so that no one ever gets lost."

"Why didn't anyone tell me this then? Why didn´t the guard come to escort me or something?"

"I guess we forgot to tell you, since we're so used to it and when I asked the guard why you hadn´t arrived for breakfast, he said that since you'd been so quiet, he'd assumed that you were still asleep and that he didn´t want to wake you. After all, you did have quite the day yesterday."

"I guess, but still… Now I have to figure out how to tell the others that I'm leaving as soon as I've declined my title…"

"You can figure that out during breakfast, can't you? I know that at least I'm hungry" she said just as my stomach started growling. "And it sounds like you are too" she said laughing and I couldn't help that I joined her, as we swam out the door and towards the dining room.

As we swam down the halls of the castle we met some of the people working there and judging by the surprised looks on their faces, it seemed like the word of my return hadn´t reached everyone yet. I heard them whisper things like "Isn´t that…", "No, it can´t be her", "That´s impossible" and "Princess Emma?". After a while it started to get on my nerves, which Noel seemed to notice.

"You have been missing for the past two years, so you should have realised that something like this would happen sooner or later. If you find it annoying, just ignore them."

"I know, but still… I don´t want to make such a fuss, I´ll be leaving soon anyway"

"I know, but considering it will take some time to prepare the ceremony where you officially decline your title and the fact that Seiras crowning ceremony is tomorrow, it might be best if we officially announce your return today"

"WHAT?! Why? I just want to enter and leave this world in quiet!"

"You can´t do that. It´s already too late for that, people already know you´re here and those who don´t know now will know after tomorrow"

"Do I have to attend? Can´t I just hide during the ceremony?"

"No, because even if the people don´t know that you´re back, the sea and the pearls know that you are and unless all princesses are there to give their approval of Seira as queen, she can´t become one."

"So unless I attend the ceremony and give my official approval, Seira can´t become queen?"

"Exactly" Noel said, smiling

"So how were you planning on getting past that part if you hadn´t found me?"

"As long as you were missing, you weren´t considered a princess."

"And why can´t I stay missing and not have the title?"

"Because the moment that you fell into the water and the pearl reacted with the sea, you got the title back. It´s just how it works" she said as if this was common knowledge

"Argh! I hate this! I just want to go back home and live a normal life with my parents, just like I´ve done for the past two years, but NOOO! I have to go through some kind of official announcement of my return, attend a crowning ceremony and then go through yet another ceremony to officially decline my title. And what? Do I have to go through another official announcement to say that I´m leaving for good?"

"No, you don´t have to do that, although it would be a nice touch!" Noel said, smiling again. I was just about to say something when we arrived at the dining hall. The doors opened and I saw the other girls sitting there.

" _I have to tell them right away"_ I thought to myself but before I could say anything, Noel started talking.

"Good morning everyone!" she said, getting responses from the others who all were in different stages of half sleeping, before smilingly continuing "I think it´s best if we have an official announcement of Emma´s return. They´re all going to find out tomorrow anyway, so to milden their surprise it´s probably best to have the announcement today."

Rina, who was the one that was most awake of the seven girls, was the first to react.

"Good thinking Noel! I don´t know if I´d ever think of something like that." she said, making the others ALMOST wide awake.

"Yea, that´s a great idea!" Isabelle said, also smiling. Rina called on one of the maids.

"Josefine, can you make sure that the word gets out that we want to make an announcement today? I would like to have everyone gathered in the usual place around four."

"Of course princess Rina" the maid, who apparently was called Josefine, said.

"Oh, and one more thing" Rina said as Josefine started to swim away.

"Yes, princess?"

"Can you send someone to Emma´s room? She needs a dress for tomorrow. Come to think of it, we all need something to wear at the announcement today"

"I´ll make sure of that, princess Rina" Josefine said, doing something that looked like a mermaid version of curtsying, before quickly swimming away to do as she was asked.

The rest of the breakfast passed without any trouble and after an hour or so I returned to my room knowing I´d find a maid there. I was sort of hoping that it would be Josefine, she had seemed like a nice girl, but it wasn´t her. It was a different maid and she presented herself as Annie. As she took my measurements for the dress, she explained that she was the one who would look after me and help me during my stay there.

"Do you have any wishes on how you want your dress to look?" she asked just as she was about to leave.

"No, just that it´s not too flashy…"

"Flashy?" Annie said wondering

"Yea, you know… not overly decorated or super sparkly or something like that?"

"Oh, now I understand. I´ll try my best" she said, before continuing "Oh, I´m so sorry!"

"For what?"

"I forgot to say you title!" she said, before a second later adding "Oh, no! I did it again!"

I laughed at this, she was too funny

"That´s okay Annie, I didn´t even notice that. I´m not used to having a title anyway."

"Really, princess Emma?"

"Yes, really Annie"

"Thank you for not being mad at me" she said as she curtsied and then she swam away to prepare my dress. Not that I was looking forward to wearing a dress, I hated that, but since I don´t have legs, pants isn´t really an option. After Annie left, I decided to explore the castle a bit. At first I considered asking Noel to come along, but I wanted to be alone and think things through, so I didn´t ask her. The guard was always right behind me anyway, so I wasn´t worried that I´d get lost. I swam through hallway after hallway and they all looked more or less the same. After a while I found a hallway full of paintings. Considering the regal look on their faces, I assumed that this was the past queens. I caught myself thinking that one day I´d be on a painting like that, before thinking why I would ever be on one? I´m not going to become queen. I was going home to my parents on land soon. But I still couldn't shake of the feeling that I wouldn´t return home.


End file.
